Agroecology could double agricultural production

[freddau]

Agroecology could double agricultural production in 10 years, according to the UN

21 March 2011 16: 46, Words Make Sense, by Napakatbra
Array. Array. Agroecology could double agricultural production in 10 years, according to the UN - LMOUS

How to "feed 9 billion human beings in 2050"? The answer is obvious, for the UN special rapporteur, Olivier De Schutter: by abandoning intensive agriculture in favor of agroecology. A technique that "seeks to improve the sustainability of ecosystems by imitating nature rather than industry" ...

UN Agroecology

Agroecology is a reasoned agronomic practice combining respectful soil cultivation, fertilization and natural phytosanitary treatments, careful varietal selection and regular crop rotations, optimization of water resources by natural storage, erosion control through the establishment of hedgerows and the combination of crops and forests ... Objective: reduction or elimination of the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides).

Until now, this practice has been decried by proponents of the industry, who have described it as "agriculture for the rich" lowering yields and increasing food scarcity worldwide. All false ! According to the UN, which was based on the exhaustive analysis of the latest scientific studies, agroecology could double food production in the most vulnerable regions in just 10 years, while reducing rural poverty and providing solutions to current ecological problems.

Agroecology, the most efficient technique

"If we want to feed 9 billion people in 2050, it is urgent to adopt the most efficient agricultural techniques", explained, on March 8, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier. From Schutter. "And current scientific evidence shows that agroecological methods are more effective than using chemical fertilizers in stimulating food production in difficult areas where hunger is concentrated."

Some examples. "To date, agroecological projects carried out in 57 developing countries have resulted in an average yield increase of 80% for crops, with an average gain of 116% for all projects carried out in Africa." "Recent projects in 20 African countries have even shown a doubling of crop yields over a period of 3 to 10 years," said Olivier De Schutter. The report further highlights that agroecological projects in Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh have reduced the use of insecticides in rice by 92%, saving poor farmers significant financial savings.

States must do it

"States and donors have a key role to play here. Private companies will not invest their time or money in practices that cannot be rewarded with patents and that do not open up markets for chemicals or chemicals. improved seeds ". Olivier De Schutter therefore urges States to support farmers' organizations, which are an essential link in the identification and dissemination of best agroecological practices. "We now know that supporting social organization has as much impact as distributing fertilizers. When they work together, farmers and scientists are an important source of innovative practices" ...

http://www.lesmotsontunsens.com/l-agroe ... -onu-10111

[Christophe]

Very good this info!

I had never heard the term agroecology, so if we read well, bio produces more than the chemical? It's Monsanto and Dow Chemicals that will make the mouth! (well done)

Is the report available?

Answer yes:

Press summary: https://www.econologie.info/share/partag ... k74QH5.pdf
23 Report e French pages: https://www.econologie.info/share/partag ... NquFpD.pdf

Source: http://www.srfood.org/index.php/fr/comp ... ht-to-food

But why want to double the production to feed 9 billions of men since the current capacity is 10 billion according to J. Ziegler ... by removing the mess at all levels (40% to 50% in rich countries).

Read also: https://www.econologie.com/forums/alimentati ... 10399.html

[Christophe]

Here is the content of the summary:

UN report: Agroecology can double food production in 10

GENEVA - In just 10 years, small farmers can double food production in vulnerable areas using green production methods, says new UN report. * Based on a thorough review of the latest scientific research, The report calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a means to increase food production and reduce rural poverty.

"If we want to feed 9 billion people in 2050, it is urgent to adopt the most effective farming techniques," says Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and author of the report. "And current scientific evidence shows that agro-ecological methods are more effective than using chemical fertilizers to boost food production in the hard-to-reach areas where hunger is concentrated. "

Agroecology applies ecological science to the design of farming systems that address climate, food and rural poverty challenges. This approach improves soil productivity and protects crops by relying on the natural environment such as certain trees, plants, animals and insects.

"To date, agroecological projects in 57 developing countries have resulted in an average yield increase of 80% for crops, with an average gain of 116%
for all projects in Africa, "says the UN Rapporteur. "Recent projects in 20 African countries have even shown a doubling of crop yields
over a period of 3 to 10 years. "

"Conventional farming accelerates climate change, relies on expensive inputs and is not resilient to climate shocks. It is simply not the best choice for the future, "says the UN expert.

On the contrary, agroecology is recognized by a growing number of experts for its positive impact in terms of food production, poverty reduction and climate change mitigation. Even Malawi, a country that launched a major fertilizer subsidy program a few years ago, is now implementing agro-ecological programs. These benefit more than 1,3 million people who have seen maize yields go from 1 ton / ha to 2-3 tonnes / ha. "

The report also points out that agro-ecological projects in Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh have reduced the use of rice insecticides by 92%, allowing farmers
poor to make significant financial savings. "Replacing pesticides and fertilizers with the knowledge of nature was a winning bet, and comparable results abound in other Asian, African, and Latin American countries, "notes Olivier De Schutter.

"The approach is also gaining ground in developed countries such as the United States, Germany or France," says the expert. "However, despite its incredible potential in the realization of the right to food, agroecology is still insufficiently supported by ambitious public policies, and is still struggling to move beyond the experimental stage. "


The report identifies a dozen measures that states should implement to develop agroecological practices.

"Agroecology is a demanding approach to knowledge," says Olivier De Schutter. "It therefore requires public policies that support participatory research and agricultural extension. States and donors have a key role to play here. Private companies will not invest their time or money in practices that can not be rewarded with patents and that do not open markets for improved chemicals or seeds. "

The Special Rapporteur urges States, inter alia, to support farmers' organizations, which are an essential link in the identification and dissemination of agroecological best practices. "We know today that supporting social organization has as much impact as fertilizer distribution. When working together, farmers and scientists are an important source of innovative practices, "says the UN expert.

"We will not solve the problems of hunger and climate change by developing industrial agriculture on large plantations," says Olivier De Schutter. "It takes
on the contrary, to build on the knowledge of small farmers and on experimentation, and to improve farmers' incomes in order to contribute to rural development. Strong support for
measures identified in the report would double food production in 5 to 10 years in areas where hunger is rampant. The success of the transition will depend on our ability to learn new innovations faster. We must move quickly if we want to avoid a continuing repetition of the food and climate crises during the 21 century. "

(*) The report "Agroecology and the right to food" was presented this March 8 before the Council
of the UN Human Rights in Geneva. It is available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese
and Russian on www.srfood.org et http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/food/annual.htm

END

Olivier De Schutter was appointed Special Rapporteur on the right to food in May 2008 by
the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is independent of any government and
any organization.

For more information on the work of the Special Rapporteur, visit: www.srfood.org ou
www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/food/index.htm

[Obamot]

... All this is excellent: anyway soil depletion leads straight to agroecology ... there is no other reasonable alternative amha ...

[dedeleco]

On Arte, there are 3 days, they presented a Japanese Takano, in Fukuoka, which replaced the pesticides by ducks, who eat pests and insects: duckrice or rice with ducks !!
I wondered where he was and luckily he is in the south of Japan, far from the radioactive Fukushima, where the rice has become radioactive.
http://j-a-g.skyrock.com/

Takano Furuno in Japan grows rice but wants to find a way not to use chemicals. One day by chance, he finds in an old book a story telling that before we put ducks in the rice fields. Intrigued, Takano tries the experiment and he is quickly surprised to see the consequences. Ducks eat all weeds and pests, and by moving the bottoms they oxygenate the water. Very quickly, he increased his yields, created an "organic" rice label, "duck rice", which he sold 20 to 30% more expensive than traditional rice. In addition, when the rice sector is in crisis, it sells duck meat, which is very popular in Japan. In this country, his model has been copied by more than 10.000 farmers, who today produce more than 5% of the rice consumed in Japan.

http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/upload_image ... _fev10.pdf

Pray that there is not too close a nuclear power plant.

[Did67]

Mwouaih ...

Even for good causes, why do the “experts” always have to oversimplify?

So is agroecology like the nucleus ...

Far be it from me to think it sucks. For having tried to practice a form of agroecology in the 80s or 90s in Africa, I can guarantee you that it is much more complicated. Already maintaining yields ... OR was I already stupid? The simple question of organic matter in the Sahelian environment, I can write you a book, without having "THE" solution !!!

Those interested can also look at the writings of Pierre Rabhi, to whom agroecology in the Sahelian environment has given wisdom far from the shattering words of this "expert" ...

But hey, the thinking goes in the right direction, I do not say the opposite!

[highfly-addict]

Perfectly agree with Did67, or even more ....

Farmers in "vulnerable areas" are therefore dumb unable to produce enough to feed the local population .....
But we'll fix that, huh! : we show them how to do it because they are too C..s!

Bla positivo-scientist blues with stinking colonialist hints and just anything!

One thing is certain: this "expert" must not often leave his office and "scratch" the earth to produce what he eats, it's a shame, it would surely do him good!

Sorry for the rant but bureaucrats and "experts", I can't stand them anymore!

[sen-no-sen]

It's already that, they admit that bio could feed the planet, a scoop!
Now we have to wait for our leaders to move ... by 50 years it should do it!

The next scoop: renewable energies could cover the totality of global energy needs!

[dedeleco]

It is necessary to listen to the long experience past practical, ancient, of thousands of years, even of 10000 years:

One day by chance, he finds in an old book a story telling that before we put ducks in the rice fields

and the Sahara and the deserts are the most difficult, since practically nothing useful is growing there, without water.
I admire the cacti and other plants that come to live, forgetting to water them, without water for months.

[Did67]

One thing is certain: this "expert" should not often leave his office and "scratch" the earth to produce what he eats,

The opportunity is too beautiful.

Definition of an expert (who circulated "in my time", therefore 80s / 90s, between "people in the field"): "it is someone who has flown over a country at least twice, including one during the day! "

PS: there are a few, real ones; I have met two or three brilliant ones, which almost instantly understand a system, see the "bottleneck" and put their finger on what, by dint of having your nose in the handlebars, you had not seen ... Must be fair.

Two or three on a few tens ...